Cruisin'
by Violet to Blue
Summary: Levon and Joe set out on a business trip, but will they still be partners when they return?
1. Chapter 1

**Houston Knights** is an American crime drama set in Houston, Texas. The show ran on CBS from 1987 to 1988 and had 31 episodes. The core of the show was the partnership between two very different cops from two different cultures. Chicago cop Joey LaFiamma is transferred to the Houston Police Department after he kills a mobster from a powerful Mafia family and a contract is put out on him. In Houston he is partnered with Levon Lundy, the grandson of a Texas Ranger. Although as different as night and day, and after a rocky beginning the two cops form a successful partnership and become friends. During the series, it is revealed that both LaFiamma and Lundy have their own personal demons. LaFiamma comes from a Mob family himself and his Chicago police partner had been killed when he went ahead while LaFiamma had waited for backup to arrive. Lundy´s wife had been killed by a car bomb that was intended to kill him.

Standard Disclaimer: Houston Knights belongs to Jay Bernstein and Michael Butler and Columbia Pictures. No copyright infringement is intended. This is fan fiction, written out of love for the shows. I am making no money off this. I have no money so please don't sue me. Any original characters who may appear in these stories are the property of the author.

Houston Knights Fanfiction

 **Cruisin´**

By Violet to Blue

"Lundy, will you try and relax for God´s sake?" Joseph Anthony LaFiamma shot his partner a sidelong look of annoyance. "Why can´t you ever relax when I drive your damn tank? I´ve driven cars far more valuable than this pile of junk before I even turned fourteen."

"Yeah, wonder why you unlearned to drive in the meantime then," Levon Lundy retorted. His tense posture emphasized the seriousness of his statement. His right hand had tightly gripped the holder above his side window and his left boot uncharacteristically rested against the dashboard of his Jimmy. He had placed it there on impulse after Joe had tipped the breaks just a bit too forcefully for his taste.

"Hey, listen Lundy. You can´t always come up with the same old story about me wrecking that jeep of yours. That´s been two years ago. And, by the way, I am still paying for the wreck. Meaning I am actually paying for the acquisition and maintenance of this tank. So I see it as my right to drive the damn thing once in a while."

As his mind wandered back to the beginning of their trip Levon had to admit that they both had had a hard time for the last two days. They had been assigned to the job of picking up a witness in Salt Lake City. The guy had agreed to give testimony against a mob boss from New Orleans who had been nailed in Houston. But he had not agreed to go to Houston by plane. At this time of the year a drive to Salt Lake City was no pleasure. Nor was the return trip. The searing heat would probably fry them alive. But their lieutenant Joanne Beaumont had been adamant. The budget was too tight to pay for their flights and a rented vehicle for the return journey. And on top of that no other team had been available.

So they started out for Salt Lake City in Levon´s Jimmy in the middle of the night. At least the temperature was nice and Levon first thought he could cope. But their last case had not only forced them to put in long hours for a few days but had also kept them in the office until early evening. The short interval they had had to recuperate before starting out on their trip hadn´t allowed either of them to recharge sufficiently.

Though Levon was a morning person he was only when he had had the chance to sleep beforehand. Of course he had insisted on driving the first turn. But then there had been the problem to determine just how long that first turn was supposed to be. Levon would have actually preferred to drive both trips himself. After all the Jimmy was his and not Joe´s vehicle. He hardly ever entrusted Joe with his car. Not after Joe had wrecked the model Levon had owned before the Jimmy. The story was still occasional cause for laughter at the police station, even after two years.

Joe had fallen asleep the instant he had buckled in the seat belt. As the monotonous road stretched before him in the seemingly endless night Levon all of a sudden realized that he had closed his eyes. For how long he couldn´t tell. Problem was that he was supposed to be in control of his vehicle. He bolted upright and the car jerked in its successful attempt to regain a straight forward movement.

The swerving motion had jostled Joe against the door on his side. His eyes coming open wide in shock he swore loudly. "Damn it, Lundy, are you nuts? Do you want to kill us both?" Being started out of a deep sleep he felt the adrenaline surge through his body like a tidal wave that left a slight nausea in its wake. "Pull over, you´re not driving another mile."

"Cut it, LaFiamma. Why don´t you go back to sleep." Levon tried to cover his own shock by glaring back at his partner. But he knew there was no excuse for misjudging his own state of exhaustion. After a moment he slowed down, pulled into a dirt road and cut off the engine. He did not look at Joe but rather expected him to give a harsh comment. Instead there was only silence.

"I´m sorry, LaFiamma. Might not have been such a good idea to set out without a good night´s sleep," Levon finally said somewhat contritely. His gaze met Joe´s. Though the full moon lit the outside scenery sufficiently there was only little light in the car. Still Levon could tell that his partner´s face was paler than usual.

"Yah ok?"

Joe nodded but didn´t answer right away. He rolled down the window and took a deep breath. "Just a bit queasy," he conceded. "Too much adrenaline."

"Reckon you´re not up to driving then either," Levon probed, carefully keeping any sarcasm out of his voice.

"Reckon you´re right there," came Joe´s laconic answer. "I guess we better just stay put and close our eyes for a while. Joanne will be pissed if we get ourselves killed in the middle of the desert."

"Yeah." Levon tilted back the back rest and tried to get as comfortable as possible. The squeaking of Joe´s seat told him that his partner followed his example. A few minutes later they were both sound asleep.


	2. Chapter 2

**Chapter 2**

The enforced interval had provided them with enough sleep but had also confronted them with the necessity to drive in the relentless heat of the summer sun which they had originally wanted to avoid. To a certain degree the air condition of the Jimmy was able to keep up an illusion of coolness but when the outside temperature excelled 110 degrees the Jimmy´s interior started to boil as well.

When Levon added yet another notch to the AC Joe ran his hand through his hair. "Geeze, Lundy, I don´t want to get blown out of here. My ears were already ringing enough with the gale force we had before."

"Thought you didn´t fancy the heat," Levon retorted unapologetically.

"Yeah, but neither do I fancy trading my headache for a full-grown migraine," Joe mumbled as he reached out and readjusted the AC to its previous status.

Levon looked at his watch. It was only twelve o´clock. Until now he had successfully talked Joe out of taking over the wheel. Now that he was feeling an onslaught of tiredness he suddenly wished the Northerner would replace him for a while. But Joe´s mention of a headache reminded Levon of the fact that his ex-Chicago partner suffered the heat far less than he did. And normally Joe wouldn´t admit to any weakness. Complaining of a headache made Levon suspect it to be more of a problem than Joe cared to let on.

When they reached the outskirts of a small community a few miles further down the interstate Levon pulled into the parking lot of a combined diner motel place. Napping on the dirt road in the early hours they hadn´t had any breakfast. That, a shower and a nice cool room to get out of the unbearable midday heat was what came immediately to mind when they stepped off the Jimmy onto the almost melting tarmac.

They took seats opposite each other in a booth away from the diner´s front window. The place was small but cool and it seemed nice enough. Scanning the menu Levon looked for the waitress who was nowhere to be seen. Joe got up to head for the men´s room without having picked up the menu at all.

"What do you want? I´ll order for you in the meantime," Levon said, still undecided about his own choice of food.

"Just get me some water," Joe mumbled without as much as a backward glance.

Levon frowned at the back of his partner. He had learned to read Joe pretty well. And even better ever since he had discovered that his interest in the man was more than that of a well-meaning colleague. By now he was pretty sure something was wrong with Joe. But maybe it was just the heat. Even after two years in Houston the Northerner hated the summer in Texas. And Levon had to admit that the temperature around here wasn´t anywhere near that in Houston but closer to that in Death Valley.

Ignoring Joe´s dismissal of a decent late breakfast or rather early lunch Levon ordered scrambled eggs and toast, juice and water for his partner and for himself his usual fried eggs, bacon and toast with a strong coffee. The boy needed to eat something. It sure wasn´t good to go with an empty stomach all day.

When Joe returned the food was already on the table and Levon was burrowing into his portion heartily.

Joe frowned. "Didn´t I say…"

"Thought it would be better to eat now than before setting out again later," Levon cut in explaining.

"You mean you wonna stay here?" Joe slipped into his side of the booth.

"Yeah, at least until the sun isn´t that high anymore, late afternoon temperature should be better than the searing furnace we have now." Levon took another bite of his toast.

Joe reluctantly picked up his fork and started picking at the eggs. He ate some but did not really seem to be hungry. "If we go on like this we won´t get anywhere near Salt Lake City soon."

"Yeah, was a real stupid idea to go by car. I guess Joanne never thought about the heat when she rejected to let us fly at least one way."

"Still that wouldn´t have spared us the return by car with that picky witness." Joe had put the fork aside and was now just nibbling at his toast.

"I guess we will need to call her sometime and tell her we´ll be late." Levon looked at Joe´s almost untouched plate. "If you´re not having any of this, do you mind…?" He pointed at the scrambled eggs. Joe shook his head and handed Levon his plate. While Levon scoffed the eggs Joe just drank some of the juice and water.

When the waitress came to pour Levon some more coffee he inquired about the rooms.

"Funny thing," she laughed. "At this time of year people rather stay here to get out of the heat during the day than to spend the night. What kind of rooms are you looking for?"

"Two single rooms. But just until early afternoon, I´d say," Levon said. He would rather have asked for a single room to cuddle up as closely as possible to his partner in a single bed but that was only his private wish. Until now Levon had kept it to himself. As far as he could tell Joe was a lady´s man, there was no doubt about it.

The waitress looked contrite. "We´re actually a bit short of rooms right now. Most of them are being renovated. Of the remaining three two are taken. So the only one available is a double with a king size double bed."

"Fine," Levon said spontaneously while Joe looked a bit insecure.


	3. Chapter 3

The room was small, had old furniture and was probably the next in line for the renovation. They threw down their bags on either side of the bed and Joe reached out to switch the AC to the highest level. Levon headed for the bathroom. When he returned he found Joe already in bed. Joe looked pale and there were small lines of pain around his eyes. Levon stepped up to the bed.

"You ok, Joe?"

Joe´s eyes opened only just a crack. "I don´t really feel so well. You haven´t packed any Aspirin, have you?"

"Sorry, partner. But I could try and find a drugstore I guess." Levon worriedly looked at his partner.

"No, don´t bother, it´s probably just the heat." Joe pulled the blanket up and closed his eyes again.

"You should have eaten your breakfast. I always get a headache when I´ve not eaten."


	4. Chapter 4

Secretly watching Joe nod off kept Levon awake for a while. But then his own tiredness caught up with him and at last he fell asleep too.

Next thing he knew was that Joe bolted upright on the bed, then doubled over clutching at his stomach with a painful moan.

"Joe, what´s wrong?" Levon reached out to touch his partner´s arm but Joe was already up and staggering towards the bathroom. He sagged to his knees in front of the toilet and started retching. What little he had eaten was ejected immediately. Then followed an agonizingly long interval of dry heaving. Levon had at once bent down behind Joe, putting his arm across Joe´s chest, supporting and holding him. At first Joe seemed to be oblivious to the helping hands. At last when the retching had subsided he heavily leaned against Levon, quietly moaning.

They sat like that on the bathroom floor for a while. When Levon figured that Joe was done he pulled him up and guided him back to the bed. Joe looked dreadful, his face was white as a sheet and sweaty and he was shivering. Levon covered him with the blanket.

"I´m sorry, Levon." Joe´s voice was hardly more than a whisper.

"Don´t be silly, Joe. I am the one who is sorry. Shouldn´t have made you eat when you weren´t feeling well." Levon sat down on the bed and brushed the unruly bangs from Joe´s forehead in an intimate gesture. His worry made Levon all but forget that Joe did not know about his secret feelings for him.

"Haven´t felt too well since yesterday. Was just the headache first. But then I thought it was that terrible heat. But now, as funny as it may sound, I feel terribly cold." As if to prove it Joe´s teeth started chattering. Levon got up and turned down the AC. When he headed for the door Joe anxiously called after him. "Where yah going? Don´t leave me alone." He sat up on the bed and swung his legs over the side to get up. With one large stride Levon was back at his side.

"You stay in bed, you hear?" He cautiously pushed Joe back onto the bed and pulled the blanket back up to cover him. "I just want to go get something to drink and a painkiller for you. And perhaps I can find a doctor."

"I don´t need a doctor. I´ll be ok if I just get some sleep." Joe unsuccessfully tried to suppress the chattering of his teeth.

"Huh-huh."

Joe looked up, his expression meek. „Ok, but don´t be too long."


	5. Chapter 5

When Levon returned half an hour later Joe was asleep. Levon set the thermos flask with chamomile tea, the bottled water and the package of pain killers on the nightstand. The waitress had been most helpful. The only thing she had not been able to come up with was a doctor. The little community was short of a GP and there was no hospital.

The room was slightly warmer than before but still much nicer than the unbearable heat outside. Levon sat down on the bed and looked at Joe´s pale face. Cautiously he reached out and felt Joe´s cheek. It was hot, feverishly hot. Levon was worried. Joe should drink something, but he did not want to wake him just for that. So Levon just kept quiet and watched Joe sleep.

Looking back he could not really remember when he had fallen for Joe. Sure, it seemed they were still fighting like they had when they had first met. But their fights weren´t as serious or as furious as they had been. He wondered if Joe had realized this as well. Their verbal battles were legendary in the police station but somehow they had become a sport rather than a serious issue. The police station…suddenly Levon realized that he´d better call Joanne. She had no idea where they were and that they would not make it to Salt Lake City on time.


	6. Chapter 6

"Joanne, it´s Levon."

He had quietly slipped out of the motel room again and found a public phone at the reception.

"Levon, good that you´ve called. Salt Lake City is getting impatient. Where are you? I figure you must be halfway by now?" Lieutenant Joanne Beaumont was expecting to get the usual precise report on the phone.

"Joanne, we haven´t come that far yet. Not as far as we should."

"What do you mean, not that far. Where are you then?"

"Well, actually, I can´t even tell you the name of this place. I just wanted to let you know that we can´t make it."

"Make what, Levon?"

"We won´t be able to get to Salt Lake City on time."

"I don´t understand, Levon. What are you talking about?" Joanne could not make sense of Levon´s words.

"Joanne, we will need to stay in this place, I mean in this motel for at least a day or two. Joe is sick. It would be irresponsible to drag him out of bed and expose him to the terrible heat we have right now."

"What do you mean by sick, what´s wrong with him?" Joanne inquired.

"He´s come down with a fever, a mighty headache and he´s been puking his guts out."

"Oh no," Joanne sighed. "Annie´s called in with the same thing today. And Esteban left an hour ago. We think it´s a virus," Joanne explained. "Did Joe see a doctor?"

"There´s no doc in this God forsaken place. We´re lucky to have found a motel room."

"Ok, Levon." She thought for a moment. "I´ll call Salt Lake City. They will be pissed but I can´t change that for now. You just stay with Joe. If he gets worse or if he doesn´t get better take him to a hospital. Call me tomorrow morning, ok?"

"Ok, I´ll get back to you tomorrow then."


	7. Chapter 7

Joe had slept on and off during the afternoon. Levon had nodded off as well until Joe started to moan and toss on the bed. Levon bent over him in concern.

"What´s the matter, Joe?"

"Nothing, go back to sleep Levon." Joe had curled up into a fetal positon, hands pressed against his stomach.

"Don´t look like nothin to me, boy. I guess it´s time to call an ambulance." Levon got up to leave the room.

"Wait. Are you nuts? I´m not going to no hospital." Joe moaned again.

"Then tell me what´s wrong, boy." Levon tried to cover his worry by sounding annoyed.

"It´s just my stomach, it´s cramping," Joe explained meekly.

Levon got the thermos flask and poured some of the tea into a cup. He handed it to Joe.

"You need to drink something. And the chamomile will soothe the cramps."

"Yak, I just hate chamomile tea." Joe made a disgusted face. "My mom used to force it on me when I was sick."

"Yeah, she knew what was good for you. And you are sick now. That´s why you´ll drink it. Discussion ended." Levon helped Joe to sit up and stuffed some of the pillows behind his back. Reluctantly Joe took the cup, sniffed at the content and shook his head.

"You drink it. Now. Slowly. Don´t be so stubborn, LaFiamma." Inwardly Levon almost had to smile about the show Joe was putting on. At last Joe started to sip the tea, small swallows, a few every few minutes. After some time the cramps did indeed abate but Joe was shivering again. Levon took the cup from Joe´s hand and realized that the hand was shaking. He reached out and touched Joe´s forehead. It seemed pretty hot.

"Can´t, can´t you….you do…do something….against..t..t that..t..t damn c..c..cold..d..d?" Joe could hardly speak with his teeth chattering like this.

Levon was at a loss. The AC was already turned off and the room was starting to get stuffy. "What do you want me to do?" he finally asked.

Joe looked at him quite innocently. "Can´t yah… h..h..hold me s..s..some t..t..to k..k..keep m..m..me w..w..warm?" he stammered, the staccato of his chattering teeth adding to the humor of the situation.

 _Oh Lord have mercy,_ Levon thought. How should he do that without Joe finding out how he felt about him? Well, there was no use, Joe needed this now. Slowly he got rid of his jeans and shirt. As Joe invitingly lifted the covers he slid into the bed beside his partner. Levon could feel that Joe was shaking quite violently. As Joe snuggled up closely to him Levon sensed the feverish heat radiating from his partner´s body. It was strange how Joe could feel so cold and yet be so hot. But Levon knew it was only a sign that the fever had not reached its peak yet. Joe sighed and pressed even closer to him under the blanket. While Levon was trying to control the tingling sensation in his groin he was glad to feel Joe go limp with sleep.


	8. Chapter 8

Next time Levon woke he found Joe in his tight embrace. It was early evening. Joe was fast asleep but his T-shirt and boxers were drenched with sweat. Levon let go of Joe and slipped out of bed. Rummaging through the content of his partner´s bag he finally pulled out another T-shirt and a pair of boxers. Levon looked down at Joe. Changing his partner´s clothes while he was asleep would be difficult. He bent down and shook Joe´s shoulder.

"Joe, wake up, I want to change your clothes."

"Mmmmh?" Joe turned his back on Levon.

Levon shook him again.

"What´s the matter, do we have to leave?" Joe sat up and looked a bit sheepish.

Levon sat down beside him. "No, I just want to get you out of these wet clothes." He got hold of Joe´s shirt and pulled it over Joe´s head. He rubbed Joe´s chest and back dry with a towel and helped him put on the new shirt.

"Can you get up?" Joe did, but swayed and held on to Levon as he got out of his boxers. Levon handed him the towel and Joe dried his buttocks and thighs. He stepped into the dry boxers and sat back down on the bed with a sigh. When he wanted to lie down again Levon held him back and offered him the bottled water.

"Joe, you gotta drink some. You lost a lot of fluid because of the fever."

Joe nodded and took the bottle. He drank half the bottle and handed it back to Levon. Though he was still sitting up on the bed his eyes had closed again. Levon felt Joe´s cheeks. They were still warm with the fever but not as hot as before. Then Joe reclined back onto the bed with a sigh.

"Levon?" Joe reached out, his hand searching for his partner.

"Yeah?" Levon put his hand into Joe´s, let himself be pulled down onto the bed. Joe snuggled up to him again, his pouting lips invitingly turned towards Levon, yet his eyes closed. Levon lost all his defenses. Cupping Joe´s face with his hand Levon moved closer, so close that finally he was able to tenderly place his lips on Joe´s. They were incredibly soft. Joe seemed to be a bit out of it. He did not react at first. It seemed rather that he had already fallen asleep again. But then his face lit up with a blissful smile.

Levon was stunned. He could not avert his eyes. Joe looked like a little boy, a little boy who had just unpacked the Christmas present he had wished for and who had afterwards fallen asleep under the Christmas tree.


	9. Chapter 9

Levon woke with a headache. The room was no longer dark and the AC was buzzing again. From the bathroom he heard the sound of the shower running. When he tried to sit up his head started spinning and he felt a faint sickness that made him lay back on the bed with a moan. He knew what had happened. He had caught the virus.

Joe stepped out of the bathroom, a towel around his hips and another one in his hand with which he was drying his hair. Levon had opened his eyes just a crack. Though there were still dark shadows under Joe´s eyes and his face was paler than usual Levon thought he looked gorgeous. As he stepped up to the bed and looked down at his partner Levon asked himself how much Joe actually remembered of the last twenty-four hours.

"Levon, aren´t you gonna get up?" Normally Joe was the one who didn´t get out of bed in the morning.

"Joe, I think we have a problem." Levon sat up on the bed, his vision swimming.

Joe shot him a questioning look. "What kind of problem? I´m feeling better. I don´t know what it was but I think it´s passed. We can go on to Salt Lake City now."

"Joanne said it´s a virus. Annie and Esteban have caught it as well."

"Oh, I understand. Why didn´t you tell me yesterday?" Joe ruffled his hair with the towel.

"You were too sick."

"So where´s the problem now, Levon?"

"I think I caught it," Levon said matter-of-factly.

"Caught what?"

"The virus."

"Oh no." Joe came over to sit on the bed beside Levon. "How do you figure?" He looked worried.

"Headache and nausea. Didn´t it start like that?"

"Huh-huh." Joe looked unsure of what to do. "Can I get you anything?"

"No, it´s not that bad yet." They fell silent for a moment. Then Levon thought of something. "Joe, I think you should call Joanne. She asked me to call her this morning."

"She will be pissed." Joe rolled his eyes. "The way we are doing we will probably never get to Salt Lake City."

"She´ll be glad to learn that you´re better."

"Oh, you think so?" Joe seemed surprised.

"Yeah, she always worries about her people, don´t you know that?"

"Ah, yeah, sure, I just thought…" Joe´s voice trailed off.

"Thought what?"

"Nothing." Joe turned away and got up. Without another word he disappeared into the bathroom.

Levon had reclined on the bed and closed his eyes again. His temples were pounding.

When he opened his eyes again Joe was standing above him. He was fully dressed. "Levon, I gotta thank you for what you did for me. And I´m really sorry that I infected you." He looked embarrassed. "I would have liked to spare you the experience."

"Never mind, it´s not your fault. Are you gonna call her now?"

"Yeah, right."


	10. Chapter 10

"Hi Lieutenant, it´s Joe."

"Joey, how are you? Are you better again?" Joanne could not hide her worry.

"Yeah, I´m better, Lieutenant."

"Listen, I put Salt Lake City on hold. If you set out right away…"

"Lieutenant, we can´t."

"Can´t what, Joey?"

"We can´t leave. Levon has caught the virus from me. I don´t think we can leave today."

"Oh no. How is he?"

"Not too bad yet, but that might change. It seems to start slowly. It might take a day before it really hits him. That´s at least how it was with me. And then another day to get over it."

"Yeah, that´s what the others told me as well. If it goes on like this there will be no one left in the Major Crimes Unit. Carol called in sick today and Joe-Bill left after being here only for an hour. I best put the whole place under quarantine."

"Well, Lieutenant, I guess I will call you tomorrow then?"

"Yeah, ok, Joey. And tell Levon to get well soon."


	11. Chapter 11

Joe had, after prudently taking only a light breakfast, also hit the sheets again. He still felt weak on account of the virus and as there was nothing else he could do he had resolved that getting some more rest would be the best way to prepare for the ride to Salt Lake City. Levon would probably not be up to driving. Even if he should claim that he was the only adequate driver for the Jimmy this time Joe was prepared not to have any of this.

Whenever he woke beside his sleeping partner Joe surreptitiously eyed Levon. It seemed that the virus had not hit Levon as hard as it had hit himself. In a spell of humor Levon had claimed it to be a Texan friendly virus. Joe had protestingly snorted at the allegation not wanting to reveal his inward smile. Levon had taken some Aspirins and had also stoically drunken some chamomile tea before dropping off into a seemingly untroubled deep sleep.

Joe was glad of it. He hated to see Levon suffer though he took pains not to show. When he had first come to Houston he had hated his new partner. Or hadn´t he? The fact that he and Levon had started out on more than the proverbial wrong foot had not helped. Joe had been so angry and hurt about his forced exile from Chicago that it took him months to even regard his surroundings with the necessary neutrality. Everybody and everything had been his enemy. He felt guilty for the death of his Chicagoan partner and he had hidden it under his rage. And therefore he would not accept his new partner. He made his and Levon´s working life a living hell for he couldn´t say how long.

Joe halted in his thoughts. Looking back he felt really sorry for his behavior. His own fury and hurt had barely started to retreat when he had been confronted with an AIDS test*. After being injured in a shooting Joe had been treated in hospital. The doctor there had, after seeing on the file that Joe had had a blood transfusion a few years ago, recommended the test. That had been yet another threat to Joe´s still non-existent balance. While fearfully waiting for the results Joe had joined Levon on a trip to his partner´s hometown and Levon´s grandmother had welcomed Joe to her home. For the first time since Joe had left Chicago he had felt accepted and loved. Levon had tried to help him, had tried to reassure him and had given him the feeling that he understood Joe´s fears. Joe on the other hand had learned a lot about Levon from what Levon´s grandmother Mother Minnie had told him. He had learned about Levon´s own losses and fears.

 _* Episode "Secrets"_

From then on Joe had started to see Levon with different eyes.

The whole business with the AIDS test had also made Joe reconsider his relationship with women. He had always been interested in men and women alike but he had never met a woman who had been able to satisfy him and bind him in a way that could be the foundation of a permanent relationship. In Houston he had in order to camouflage his own pain and loneliness taken refuge to a lifestyle that had come close to a competition in speed-dating. But he had quickly realized that he could not fill the void that losing his home and his family had left with the sheer number of females who had dragged him into their beds.

So after the AIDS test Joe had stopped dating women altogether. Now he wondered if Levon had noticed at all.

Sometime along the line Joe had realized that his feelings for Levon had changed. Levon was no longer just his colleague but he had become Joe´s best friend. The step from being his best friend to becoming the object of Joe´s desire had been small. And ever since that line had been crossed Joe had wondered how to go about showing Levon the true nature of his feelings. First Joe had been sure that Levon would downright reject any advances by him. But after the past two days Joe knew he had been wrong. Levon seemed to be interested as well.

Joe tried to recall exactly what Levon had done while taking care of him during his sickness. He really had been uncomfortable. But having Levon look after him had been worth it and it certainly had been special. Ok, the spells of sickness, the high fever and the almost migraine like headache had been hard to bear. But every single touch by Levon had engraved itself into Joe´s memory.

Now Joe was pondering if the events during their short trip could eventually give him the long desired opportunity to show Levon how he really felt about him. Joe could quite clearly recall how Levon had held him in his feverish state, how he had finally even kissed him. Though he had not been fully in control of his consciousness he had without doubt recognized the implication of Levon´s behavior. A behavior that had shown love and caring. So Joe decided that now was the time to come forth and act. With the certainty that Levon loved him and that he loved Levon, Joe timidly reached out and with his fingers cautiously combed through Levon´s wonderfully soft hair. With the hope that now he would only have to find a way to reveal his feelings to Levon Joe drifted back into sleep.


	12. Chapter 12

The sun was about to hit the horizon and the day´s heat would subside soon. After Levon had vehemently claimed that he was alright and no longer suffering from any symptoms that could be ascribed to the virus Joe had reluctantly agreed to continue their trip to Salt Lake City. While Levon was taking a shower Joe headed for the phone to tell Joanne they would resume their journey.

"Hi Annie, it´s Joe. Where´s Joanne?" He knew her answer before he had asked the question.

"Joey, it´s good to hear from you. Joanne is sick. She left around noon." Annie always took over as acting lieutenant whenever Joanne wasn´t on duty.

"The virus?"

"Yeah, I guess by tomorrow we will be through with it. There´s not a soul left that hasn´t caught that damn bug. But how are you doing, Joey? And how is Levon?"

Joe smiled. Annie cared a lot about him and also about Levon. "Oh, I´m fine, Annie. Hit me pretty hard but now I´m ok again. And Levon was lucky, he only had a few mild symptoms. He´s not really been sick at all."

"That´s good, Joey. Joanne really was worried about the two of you."

"Annie, we just wanted to let Joanne know that we´ll be on our way to Salt Lake City in an hour or so."

"Oh, Joey. You don´t need to go there anymore."

"What, why´s that?" Joe asked in surprise.

"Salt Lake City called an hour ago. They have lost their witness. So it´s no use to drive down there."

"Great, couldn´t they have come up with that before we started out on this horror trip?" Joe did not hide his annoyance.

"Sorry Joey. That was not what Joanne had in mind when she sent you there. I called her after I got the news from Salt Lake City and she asked me to give you two more days of recovery leave, counting from your arrival back in Houston."

"Oh, Annie, that´s most generous of her. When you speak to her say thanks for us and tell her to get better real soon, will yah?"

"I sure will, Joey. And you drive carefully, yah hear?"


	13. Chapter 13

"We´re going home, Lundy." Joe´s face was all smiles as he burst into the motel room.

Levon was packing his bag and eyed him with a suspicious frown. "What are you talking about, boy?"

"Annie said we can come home, the witness got lost or whatever, anyway it´s no longer our problem. We´re off to Houston."

"And Joanne?"

"Off sick with the virus. But she´s granted us two extra days off duty as soon as we show up in Houston." Joe seemed really very pleased.

"Ok, then let´s get going."

The girl at the reception reluctantly took the key from Levon´s hand, but smiled back at Joe who gave her his broadest grin. The motel staff had probably gotten the word that these two paying guests were contagious from the waitress who had helped out with the tea. Joe wondered if the room would now not only be renovated but also disinfected right away.

In the parking lot Joe reached out his hand in a prompting gesture. Levon shot him a questioning look. "The keys, Levon." When there still was no reaction Joe added: "Levon, you´re not driving."

"I…"

"No way, Lundy, you´re not off the hook yet. Just be a good passenger for once, will you?" Joe expected some retort but there came none. Levon handed over the keys and went for the passenger side.

Everything went smoothly for the first half hour. Levon even felt he could slightly relax. He had closed his eyes and was dozing off again. Then a crossing rabbit cut in their way and Joe had tried to avoid hitting it. The swerving motion followed by a tipping of the breaks had started Levon up in his seat, swearing under his breath.

"Lundy, will you try and relax for God´s sake?" Joe shot his partner a sidelong look of annoyance. "Why can´t you ever relax when I drive your damn tank? I´ve driven cars far more valuable than this pile of junk before I even turned fourteen."

"Yeah, wonder why you unlearned to drive in the meantime then," Levon retorted. His tense posture emphasized the seriousness of his statement. His right hand had tightly gripped the holder above his side window and his left boot uncharacteristically rested against the dashboard of his Jimmy. He had placed it there on impulse after Joe had tipped the breaks just a bit too forcefully for his taste.

"Hey, listen Lundy. You can´t always come up with the same old story about me wrecking that jeep of yours. That´s been two years ago. And, by the way, I am still paying for the wreck. Meaning I am actually paying for the acquisition and maintenance of this tank. So I see it as my right to drive the damn thing once in a while."

There was a long pause on both sides. Somehow the incident seemed to have broken the newly formed bond between the partners. The air of mutual understanding that had sprouted up during those two days spent in the little motel had all of a sudden evaporated into nothing. The old aggravating behavior of hostility, raised voices and accusations was back.

At once both were sorry, held back any further comment that might have been on the tip of their tongue. The long silent interval that ensued made them both retreat into themselves for a while.

At last Joe spoke up. "Listen Levon, I´m sorry, I didn´t mean any of what I said, except that I am real glad you were there to help me out when I was sick." Their eyes met and Levon nodded. "Yeah, me too, sorry Joe. Could say the same thing."

"Listen, Levon, I want to make a proposal here. Why don´t we just bury the hatchet, at least until we get back to Houston."

Levon shrugged. He would be glad to follow Joe´s lead. But Joe wasn´t through yet.

"And I have a special method to relax you some." Joe´s face flashed with his most endearing smile.

"And what might that be?" Levon´s brows had gone up with the question.

"Listen, I can´t explain it to you. That would destroy part of the effect. All you have to do is close your eyes again." The look in Joe´s eyes was open and honest. And Levon thought he could read something else there quite clearly: love and caring.

"Ok, but don´t play any foul tricks on me," Levon said in a warning tone.

"Levon, trust me. I said let´s bury the hatchet, really, man, I mean it."

"Ok, what do I have to do?"

"Just close your eyes and relax. And no matter what you hear, don´t open them, promise?"

"You wanna play some of that rock crap on the radio, don´t you? I can´t figure how that is gonna relax me."

Until now the radio had been turned off. Their different tastes of music had been a constant source for fights between them ever since Joe had come to Houston. He liked rock music but Levon would only listen to country music. Joe hated country music. What Levon did not know was that Joe was a romantic at heart. He loved all kind of music of quite different styles as long as the songs had good lyrics and were good to sing along. And he did not only go for the easy melodies. He liked elaborate tunes and whenever he was on his own he would practice singing along. His pitch of voice was a true and rich baritone and he had a good ear. He never sang off-key and he knew well what effect his voice had on others when he sang. And based on that knowledge he had developed the plan he was now about to carry out.

"Levon, you´re really a hard case. It won´t be rock music and you will for sure like it. Now close your eyes, will yah?"

"Ok." Levon closed his eyes and lay his head back against the head rest with a sigh.

Joe reached into the pocket of his jacket and pulled out a cassette. He inserted it into the slot of the radio and turned on the device.

The tune that flooded Levon´s ears was melodic and at once gave him the impression that he was floating. When the singing set in his jaw dropped in surprise but he kept his eyes closed just as he had promised.

 _Baby let´s fly up to my star  
Just trust in me, it´s not that far  
And if you give me your mind it´s forever  
Don´t fear I´ll leave cause I´ll never_

The singers´ voices were of course on the cassette as well, except for that voice which Levon recognized as Joe´s. It was soft, full bodied and washed over him like dark velvet.

 _So let the stardust ease your fear  
Don´t be afraid cause I am here  
_

 _We´re gonna float up there, close to the moon  
pass all the planets far too soon  
Just relax and fly through time  
From now on I´m yours and you are mine.  
_

Joe´s voice interacted with those on the cassette as if it were part of the original recording. Levon could feel the words and the sound engulf him, carry him away to a different dimension. The warm feeling that flooded him could only be described as delicious. The whole performance was so perfect that it did not cross his mind to open his eyes.

 _Baby let´s fly up to my star  
Just trust in me, it´s not that far  
And if you give me your mind it´s forever  
Don´t fear I´ll leave cause I´ll never  
_ _  
_ _So let the starlight ease your fear  
Don´t be afraid cause I am here  
_  
Following an inward urge Levon reached out and placed his hand on Joe´s thigh. Joe did not stop in his flow of singing but his own hand settled on top of Levon´s and squeezed it slightly.

 _We´re gonna float through space,  
your hand in mine  
never let go of me, hold tight my heart,  
Just takes my breath away  
floating in love with you  
never let go of me, hold tight my heart  
_ _  
_ _Baby the night was made for us  
You´re all I need in life, give me your trust  
And step by step I will lead you along the way  
we´ll make the night our own and then the day_

 _We´re gonna float up there, close to the moon,_  
 _pass all the planets far too soon_  
 _Just relax and fly through time_  
 _I will be yours and you´ll be mine._

At last the tune trailed off and Levon exhaled with a deep sigh. He had never heard anything more lovely before. And he had never felt like this before: totally relaxed and yet expecting more with a strange tingling sense of anticipation. When he felt Joe´s hand lift from his he opened his eyes and looked at his partner. He now seemed to see Joe in a totally different light.

Joe´s wide smile greeted him. "I told you you´d like it."

"Yeah, why didn´t you tell me you could sing like that?" Levon was still kind of speechless with awe.

"Well, I thought I would save it for a special occasion." Joe´s smile seemed to get even wider.

"Could you play that again?" Levon asked, now returning the smile. "I don´t know if I understood all the words correctly."

"What´s there that you didn´t understand, Levon?"

"Well, I´m not sure I heard right."

Joe pulled the car into the rescue lane and brought it to a halt. He turned to Levon and reached out. "I meant every word, Levon, that´s why I picked this one." He grabbed Levon by his shirt front and pulled until their noses were almost touching. "From now on I want us to cruise through life together and I want it to be as smooth and harmonic as this song." Then he captured Levon´s lips in a tender, passionate and breathtaking kiss.

When they parted for air Levon whispered: "Yah got any more of this?"

"Songs or kisses?"

"Both, boy, both."

"Lots, you have no idea how many."

"Then let´s start practicing," Levon purred as he reclaimed his partner for another kiss.

THE END (or rather the beginning of something really wonderful)

 _This story was inspired by the song Crusin´ sung by Gwyneth Paltrow and Huey Lewis in the motion picture_ _ **Duets**_ _. The lyrics in the story are not the ones of that song, I have made them up myself but as they are rather amateurish I don´t intend to make any money with them and there is no copyright infringement intended whatsoever._


End file.
